Opción A - I * COMPREHENSION · Inglés PAU Andalucía Ordinaria Reserva B 2013

OPTION A: “The Funeral.”

1 When Jake entered the funeral home, he was shocked to find Mrs. Henderson sitting alone on a divan, crying

2 with a pain usually reserved for young widows and fatherless children. Brian's unexpected death had left many

3 questions unanswered, but it was evident that he had hated Mrs. Henderson (his mother-in-law) and she had hated

4 him.

5 Jake stopped and watched her, and felt a sympathetic pressure grow within his chest. He had himself felt the

6 sorrow of losing his father just two years before. He had learnt that everyone deals with death in a very personal way.

7 He crossed the room. He approached her and touched her arm, trying to hold back his own tears. “Mrs.

8 Henderson,” he heard his own voice crack, “I'm so sorry for your loss.”

9 “Mary...” she replied. It was really difficult to understand the old lady as she couldn't stop crying. She had one

10 hand on top of the other, holding it, and trembling all over. All that reminded him of the widows and mothers he used

11 to see cry on the evening news, those from Palestine and other conflict zones.

12 “I know, I know,” Jake said. “It's hard but your daughter Mary is going to be okay.” “No,” Mrs. Henderson said.

13 “Mary...”

14 “Mary what, Mrs. Henderson?” he asked, coming closer. She looked up at him, blind and lost in her tears, and

15 he put his hands on her shoulders.

16 “Mary closed the car door on my finger!” she cried, raising her hands up to him, her pain pure, honest.

I * COMPREHENSION (4 points: questions 1-3, 1 point each; 4-5, 0.5 points each)

ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-3 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS.

1.

Why was Jake surprised by Mrs. Henderson's desperate crying?

2.

Why did he feel so sympathetic about the old lady's behaviour?

3.

What had really caused all her suffering?

ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT, OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS.

4.

Brian's death was anticipated by everybody.

TRUE

FALSE

5.

Mrs. Henderson's movements made him think of his own mother at his father's funeral.

TRUE

FALSE